[MUD-Dev] Responsibility for users (was: Birthday Cake (or Why Large Scale Sometimes Sucks) (long) )

[birgit.schulte at philips.com]

Greetings,

being a lurker here so far just a bit about my background: I'm the ordi=
nary
(ex-)mudder and occasionally dabble in mud-coding.

I am replying to two posts from Matt Mihaley at once here, both from th=
e same day.

On Thu, 8 Jun 2000, Matt Mihaley wrote (in response to Ola Fosheim):

> > I don't think one do justice to the complexity of the psyche by rul=
ing
> > out manipulative strategies that statistically will yield submissiv=
e
> > behaviour in a significant portion of a population.
>
> Sorry, not convinced. If it statistically yields submissive behavior =
in a
> significant portion of a population, then that is a significant porti=
on of
> a population whose problems are their own fault.

So, you are basically saying:
I know there are people out there which do have a certain latent proble=
m,=20
I also know that what I provide will let the problem become acute for t=
hose people,
but I don't care.

Certainly, you are not meant to hold the hand of everyone out there who=
 might
run into trouble about something which is basically harmless. But where=
 is the harm=20
in admitting it that what you provide _can_ become a problem and at lea=
st trying to=20
ease it where one has the possibility?

You might argue now, if someone would wreck his life because of mudding=
,
and I lower the incentive to mud for him, he'll find something else. Wi=
ll often be true,
but always? The personal threshold of disclipine differs, and I'm all f=
or giving those
with lower thresholds a hand.


And in response to  Ian Hess he wrote:

> Yes, indeed, but what I was referring to really was Randy Farmer's id=
eas
> that we somehow need to tell users that it's BAD for them to stay onl=
ine
> for umpteen hours at a time. That's the user's decision, not mine. It=
's
> just ridiculous, to me, to think that you know what is good for your =
users
> "real" lives.

It's certainly not much of a presumption to say if someone is online 14=
 hours
a day as a rule, he won't have much of a "real" life anymore. Now if he=
 is
online because he prefers the virtual form of social contact, I'd say, =
it's his own cup of tea.
If he's online because his desire of achievement is (more or less) met =
by what
the game provides, and because the game-mechanics require him to stay
online to keep up, I do see responsibility on the side of the game desi=
gners.


Regards, Birgit
=



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